The Pave the Way Foundation (also known as PTWF) is a non-sectarian organization that aims to identify and eliminate non-theological obstacles between religions. The organization is dedicated to achieving peace by addressing intolerance, furthering education, and practical relations between religions through cultural, technological, and intellectual exchanges. PTWF strives to eliminate the use of religion as a tool to justify conflict.
Through inter-religious projects and concrete gestures of goodwill, PTWF identifies and eliminates obstacles between people of faith. PTWF utilizes an earned level of trust in order to "pave the way" towards improving "interreligious" relations and encouraging "intrareligious" exchanges. PTWF tasks the faithful of all beliefs to recognize that the true danger to international peace is the extremist ideologies that exist within every faith.
The Work In September 2000, in recognition of donating over 20 years of consulting services and negotiating the acquisition of medical equipment resulting in millions of dollars in savings to Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, Gary Krupp was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II, only the seventh Jew to be so honored. Mr. Krupp also assisted the Hospital in 2006 by facilitating a sale of MRI equipment to the hospital by General Electric.
Receiving the honor from the Pope inspired Krupp, a developer of medical facilities from Long Beach, New York, to follow the example of his fellow Jewish Knight Commanders in dedicating himself to the work of reconciliation between the Catholic and Jewish religions, In 2002 he founded the Pave the Way Foundation.
The Foundation promotes the philosophy, "Embrace the Similarities - Savor the Differences", through cultural exchanges, talks, pilgrimages, and youth projects. PTWF has developed a Palestinian-Israeli Prosperity Plan that is designed to help provide meaningful jobs and thereby reduce one of the fundamental factors that contribute to hostilities and violence. In an effort to bring people closer together, it has coordinated the purchase of baby formula and diapers by Americans for impoverished families in the Holy Land, but the purchases are made by and for people of different faiths (e.g., Jewish Americans buying for Palestinians). Similarly, PTWF has provided blankets to Holocaust survivors in Jerusalem. PTWF also developed a manual of etiquette to help to train Israeli security personnel in response to Christian criticisms.
PTWF has commended Islamic clerics who condemn violence in the name of their religion, explaining that such statements are important "in bringing an end to the chain of violent events that now endanger every human being on the planet." PTWF also calls upon all world religions to speak out against violence and deaths perpetrated in the name of their religion and shun any persons who pervert the name of their religion to support violent and destructive goals.
The Foundation also works to foster a strong partnership between the Vatican and the State of Israel. Krupp has lobbied the Israeli government to address the concerns of the Vatican on matters including the legal status of Catholic entities in Israel, issue of visa for Church employees and access of pilgrims to major shrines.
PTWF has done considerable research on the papacy of Pius XII and has sought to deconstruct negative stereotypes such as "Hitler's Pope". In his Pius XII related work, Krupp has criticized historians who let down the general public by failing to do proper research. Krupp, while not a historian himself, has "sponsor[ed] a three-day symposium in Rome and publish[ed] four editions of a glossy, illustrated volume of evidence supporting his view that Pius XII spared no effort to save the lives of persecuted Jews."
It arranged the digitizing of the manuscripts of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land for permanent archiving and protection. It negotiated the acquisition of high tech medical equipment for Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza the hospital of St. Padre Pio in Italy. It sponsored the exhibit "Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People - A Blessing to One Another" in New York City. It is also working to help bring peace to the Middle East promoting the Wasatia Forum.
Krupp and the Foundation have played a role in diplomatic/political mediation between the Vatican and the State of Israel. When Israeli representatives withdrew from negotiations between the Catholic Church and Israel over proposed legislation relating to the Fundamental Agreement of 1993, Krupp acted as lead mediator between the two sides. Pave the Way lobbied Israeli diplomats, Jewish philanthropic organizations, Jewish congress-members, and influential Jewish leaders to contact the Israeli Prime Minister's office and emphasize the importance of cementing the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Israeli state. The Israelis resumed negotiations.
Another instance where the Foundation's intervention in Church-Israeli State affairs was important was after the election of a new Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilus III. The newly elected Patriarch was unable to discharge his duties when the Israel Government delayed recognition, Pave the Way Foundation, acting "in the interest of inter-religious harmony and positive, improved relations," made representations to the Prime Minister of Israel and the King of Jordan, urging them to give the problem their attention. Theophilos III acknowledged the role of Krupp's intervention in helping move the Patriarchate's affairs forward.
Pave the Way is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization. Pave the Way's 2012 Internal Revenue Service report states that Krupp and his wife were the organization's only two employees, with Gary Krupp earning $100,022, and his wife $36,667. Pave the Way is largely funded by twenty-two members of the Board of Directors and contributions for special projects. During 2013, income amounted to $589,787. Direct project expenses were the second-highest expenditure after the wages paid to the Krupp's. Pave the Way Foundation has active volunteers who identify specific needs projects in 15 countries."
Vatican Loan of the Maimonides Manuscripts As a result of Gary Krupp's unique position as a Jewish man invested in both Catholic and Anglican Orders of Chivalry, he has been able to arrange for the mutual exchange of and access to, priceless historical artifacts and ancient documents of incalculable religious, theological, and societal significance. This ongoing project began as an effort to open the Vatican Library for the study of the previously unavailable writings of the 12th century Rabbi, philosopher, and physician Moses Maimonides. Revered by the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions, the writings and message of reconciliation by Maimonides, born of understanding the similarities of the three faiths, highlight the convergence of these faiths. The project has hence expanded to include much more. Phase one of the "Maimonides Project" came to fruition in September 2002. Pave the Way Foundation requested and was granted permission to bring Jewish scholars to view the original manuscripts of Maimonides at the Vatican Library. The Library was specially opened for this occasion by Fr. Raffaele Farina SBD, Prefect of the Library, and H.Em. Jorge Cardinal Mejia, Vatican Librarian and Archivist.
Pave the Way initiated the Vatican loan of Maimonides’ works, along with other rare Hebrew manuscripts, for exhibit in Jerusalem, at the Israel Museum's 40th anniversary, September 27, 2005. This historic commemoration was the first time in history that these manuscripts were on Israeli soil, and provided a rare opportunity for the scholarly study of these materials. As a public venue, the exhibition greatly increased the exposure, to a modern audience, of the ancient philosophy of reconciliation and tolerance between religions put forth by this widely revered luminary.
Mission of Gratitude to the Vatican to Meet Pope John Paul II On January 18, 2005, 168 Jewish leaders, the largest Jewish audience in history, met with Pope John Paul II to thank the Pontiff for all he had done for the Jewish people. Three Rabbis blessed the Pope, Cantors sang, Gary Krupp delivered a message from the worldwide Jewish community and the Pope responded with a message for renewed peace among the religions of the world. It was later reported that the Pope himself considered this audience to be one of the most important events in Judeo-Catholic relations to occur during his Pontificate. This historic audience received vast media coverage. Another historical event sponsored by Pave the Way during the Mission of Gratitude was the first Cantorial Concert ever held in the Great Synagogue of Rome, which enabled Christian and Jewish participants to experience Ashkenazi Cantorial music together as a congregation.
Acquisition of the Bodmer Papyrus In 2006, Pave the Way was primarily responsible for the acquisition of the Bodmer Papyrus for the Vatican Library, which is one of the most important Christian manuscripts in existence today. The Foundation facilitated a private sale of the papyri of the Gospels of St. John and St. Luke from the Bibliotheca Bodmeriana in Cologny, Switzerland. PTWF then identified the donor, Mr. Frank Hanna III, who in turn donated them to the Vatican Library. Bodmer XIV and XV contain the oldest written version of the Gospels and the oldest written version of the Lord's Prayer. Bodmer Papyrus XIV & XV were written between 175 and 225 AD and were held as part of a private collection by the Bodmer Library since their discovery in 1952 at Pabau, Egypt. They were presented to Pope Benedict XVI on January 18, 2007.
Covenants of Protection PTWF has been working diligently to focus awareness of the world community on the existence of ancient Covenants of Protection. "This is a message signed with the handprint of the founder of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah in 628 CE, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)." The above quote is a partial translation of the document by Dr. Muqtedar Khan. The imprinted Covenant of Protection was written in 628 CE, as a guarantee of protection for the Christians of the Monastery of St. Catherine, at the base of Mount Sinai, which has remained safe under Muslim watch for 1,400 years. The breadth of the document in its entirety is stunning. It basically protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of a person. There are no strings attached, and nothing is expected in return for such security. The simple act of being a Christian guarantee this protection.
Collaborating with noted scholars of Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies, Pave the Way Foundation takes an active role in disseminating information, providing education and lectures to communities who might otherwise not have access to materials beyond their local resources.
Halki Seminary In 1971, the Turkish government closed the Halki seminary (Heybeliada), the oldest and most important religious education institution in the Christian Orthodox Church, creating a grave crisis.